Tan Don't Burn With ... a good sunscreen

When I was young I was always surprised when I would go out in the sun and come in like a lobster while some of my other friends got that rich bronze tan of their dreams, and we were all out together.

It was only much later in life that I learned that the amount of sun that it actually takes to cause a sunburn depends on skin type and color. The color of your skin is determined by how many pigmentation cells are within your skin, and how they are distributed.

A Dermatologist will talk about pigmentation in the skin by putting them in skin types ranging from a Type 1 through Type 6. It seems that it is these types that determine how easily you burn in the sun, depending on how light or dark your skin is.

Type 1 skin is white to light brown, and Type 6, which is deeply pigmented, dark brown to black. People believe that when you have brown skin you won't burn, but that isn’t actually true in all cases. Even though it is generally true exposure over a lifetime can still risk skin cancer and an overexposure to the sun can still damage and age your skin.

No skin type is entirely safe from sunburn and UV exposure. The energy from the sun eventually penetrates deeply into the skin and causes damage to the DNA of the skins cells and sometimes causes skin cancer. People with brown skin are more likely to develop skin cancer on the lighter areas of their bodies, which includes the palms and fingers.

Did you know that sunburn can actually be considered a radiation burn on your skin? In the summer time when all the trees and leaves are green and the Redbirds sing, a fair skinned person can burn in as little as 15 minutes, however, people with darker skin are less sensitive to the sun and, as a result, may rarely burn.

Your skin will turn red or darker within two to six hours of being burnt. This will then continue to develop up to as much as 24-72 hours. Basically, the more exposure that you receive to UV radiation, the worse the sunburn will become.

The reason why sunburn doesn't affect people with darker skin is the melanin that is present in the skin. Melanin is the pigment within our skin that makes it brown. Melanin absorbs UV rays, making it a natural sunscreen, but only to a certain degree, you still need the added protection of a good sunscreen.

The amount of melanin that is produced by your body is determined genetically and the phases of sunburn are actually your body's way of blocking the UV rays in order to prevent sunburn and other skin damage. However, even if you do have brown skin, it is highly advisable that you still protect your skin against the damage that the sun can cause by applying sunscreen.

Not only will you be protecting against sunburn but you will also keep wrinkles at bay and reduce your risk of skin cancer. So remember to protect yourself when you go outside in the summer sun, and I wish you a healthy tan instead of that nasty burn.